What Immigrants Built

The Transcontinental Railroad

The National Archive tells us, Beginning in 1863, the Union Pacific, employing more than 8,000 Irish, German, and Italian immigrants, built west from Omaha, Nebraska; the Central Pacific, whose workforce included over 10,000 Chinese laborers, built eastward from Sacramento, California.

And why were Chinese workers chosen to build the railroad? They were excellent workers and it was cheaper to bring Chinese workers across the ocean than other workers across the continent. -the Folsom Cordova Unified School District.

They Built This City

When I worked third shift in a machine shop in Milwaukee, I worked side by side with people who were immigrants from Europe, Central and South America, Mexico, Asia and Blacks who were part of the great migration.  Their contributions don't end there. The American Immigration Council recently completed a study that points out, “The United States was built, in part, by immigrants—and the nation has long been the beneficiary of the energy and ingenuity that immigrants bring. Today, 13.6 percent of the nation’s residents are foreign-born, more than half of whom are naturalized citizens. Immigrants support the U.S. economy in many ways, accounting for 22.2 percent of entrepreneurs, 22.8 percent of STEM workers, and 15.2 percent of nurses. As workers, business owners, taxpayers, and neighbors, immigrants are an integral part of the country’s diverse and thriving communities and make extensive contributions that benefit all.”

The Immigration Council has come up with a really cool interactive map. The 2023 Map, showcases the contributions of immigrants in the country, all 50 states, and industry sectors across the economy. It also features hundreds of stories and videos from local leaders talking about why immigration matters to them.

I clicked on the map to find out how immigrants are contributing to Connecticut. There are 551,000 immigrants, They make up 15% of the population. They pay $8,1 billion in taxes, Immigrants have  $19.2 billion in spending power. There are nearly 41,000 immigrant entrepreneurs in Connecticut. And, just over 290,000 eligible voters.

Why do immigrants want to come here? Why do they persist despite long odds, bias and bigotry? According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, The predominant reasons immigrants say they came to the U.S. are for better work and educational opportunities, a better future for their children, and more rights and freedoms. Smaller but still sizeable shares cite other factors such as joining family members or escaping unsafe or violent conditions.

What can I do?

“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”  Leviticus 19:33-34 

Meanwhile, in a cruel twist, 68 percent of white evangelicals say America has no responsibility to house refugees. (Pew Research) I guess they missed that part of the Bible.